More newbie questions

[major]

I'm looking at 290 car. The owner has upgraded the intake and carb and put a set of headers on it. How much power can one reasonably expect to get from this engine. What are the pros and con's of the 290? Is reliability affected when modifications are made? Also, can a 343/ 360 be bored out to make a 390? Any issues there?

[Big Bad AMX]

The 290 was rated at 225 @ 4700 RPM and 300 ft. lbs torque @ 3200 RPM. "Reasonably" is a pretty open statement but for reliable street use "probably" 250-260hp. That's using bolt-ons, and maybe a cam.

Pros are economy and reliability but that's pretty standard with any AMC V8. Cons would be power vs. the bigger engines (obviously), and resale value. Keep in mind a 290 AMX could not be ordered with a Go-Pack. So the Go Pack items would need to be installed, if desired.

No, a 343/360 could not be bored to make a 390.